Conveyer



May 22, 1956 H. E. ENGL'ESON ETAL 2,746,593

CONVEIYER Filed Aug. 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS: HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D. SRAMEK y 1956 H. E. ENGLESON EIAL 2,746,593

CONVEYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1954 MM N l l l I m l 1 l l I l l l |\|||N..IM:

INVENTORS: HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D. SRAMEK United States Patten-t CONVEYER Harry E. Engleson, Chicago, and Elmer D. Sramek, Cicero, Ill., assignors to F. B. Redington Co., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 25, 1954, Serial No. 452,128

Claims. (Cl. 198-140) This invention relates to an endless conveyer of the type embodying a plurality of hingedly connected buckets.

The invention comprises in general a plurality of hingedly connected buckets, having measuring pockets or compartments to measure a predetermined quantity of bulk iiowable material such as beans, candy, coifee and the like, the material later being placed into cartons which are located immediately below the pockets of the buckets when the buckets arrive at a particular unloading or dispensing position. Each bucket, in and of itself, is constructed in a particular manner, and has a movable end Wall so that the size of the bucket measuring pocket to be filled may be varied depending upon the type, kind and condition of the material to be measured and packed. The buckets are adjacen-tly located, and are connected at their' ends by a link of the roller chain type, thereby forming an endless conveyer which is driven by a sprocket by means of the sprocket teeth engaging the connecting link between adjacent buckets. The adjustable movable end wall is so constructed and arranged that there will be no interference from adjacent buckets, or with the operation of the chain links by this adjustment of the end wall for increasing or decreasing the size of the measuring pocket of the bucket.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved conveyer structure made up of a plurality of hingedly connected buckets which are connected at their adjacent ends by means of chain, links, there being an adjustable end wall for each bucket so as to increase or decrease the size of the measuring pocket to receive a measurable quantity of flowable materials.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of an improved endless conveyer made up of a plurality of hingedly connected buckets having measuring pockets provided therein, the pocket of each bucket being provided with novel means to adjust the size of a pocket, permitting the pocket size to be decreased or increased without in any way affecting or interfering with the continuous operation of the juxtaposed buckets.

A further object consists in a new and novel arrangement, construction and location of parts to provide a strong and durable bucket conveyer; at least one end wall of each bucket being adjustable so as to accommodate different kinds and types and sizes of material, and to accommodate materials which may shrink or expand ice Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a bucket showing the1 outer side wall and the adjustable end wall thereof; an

'Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a bucket showing the inner side wall and the closed end wall thereof.

The particular construction herein shown for the purpose of illustrating the present invention comprises an endless conveyer 1 made up of a plurality of interconnected buckets 2, which are suitably supported on a supporting plate 3 mounted on the machine frame 4. The lower open ends of the various buckets 2 are slidably supported upon a supporting plate or shelf 3 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) which completely surrounds the conveyer 1 and which is provided with an elongated slot therein which is coextensive with the package filling zone, the plate 3 being imperforate throughout the remaining regions thereof. The plate 3 is disposed at a level slightly above the level of the open ends of various packages 5 which pass through the package filling zone, .and its outer edge region is supported upon a longitudinal bar forming a part of the machine framework. The cartons 5 are transported beneath the buckets 2 so that the material in the pockets of the buckets may be deposited in the cartons '5, whereby the contents of each bucket 2 may be deposited in a carton 5 which is in a-li'nement with its proper bucket 2. The cartons 5 may be of any shape desired, but are shown 'as being relatively rectangular in cross section -to cooperate with the pockets which are also shown as being rectangularly shaped in cross section. 1

i The framework 4 of the filling machine supports a hopper '6 which is provided with a relatively straight front wall 7 and inwardly tapered or inclined opposed side walls 8. The front wall 7 of the hopper 6 is provided with a chute opening 9 which may be adjustable by gates 10, whereby the material in the hopper will be fed out of the opening 9 and deposited on the upper surfaces of the buckets which comprise the conveyer. An endless belt 11 is trained over spaced pulleys 12 and 13, the pulley 13 being the driving pulley and the pulley 12 being the idler pulley. The pulley 12 is adjustably movable by adjustable means 14 so as to insure proper adjustment of the belt and to tighten the belt when necessary. The belt 11 has secured thereto, at spaced points there along, a plurality of rake or scraper elements 15 of lobe shaped design, having flat bottom surfaces 16 adapted to rest squarely on the upper surfaces of a flange or plate 17, as Well as resting on top of the flange ends of the buckets 2. The scraper elements 15 traverse the upper ends of the buckets and scrape or rake the excess material resting on top of the buckets, and by a camming action impel the particles of the material into the openings of the buckets 2. The belt 11 operates in a direction opposite to the movement of the conveyor 1 and thus causes material lying-on top of the buckets to be swept back or raked into the openings or pockets of the buckets. A brush 18 is mounted on a transverse shaft 19 and operates in the direction indicated by the directional arrow, Fig. 1, so that the ends of the brush will sweep the material lodged on top of the conveyer 1 inwardly, and thus assist the rake elements 15 in directing the material into the pockets or openings of the buckets. A baflie 20 overlies one end of the conveyer 1 and is in close prox- Fig. 4 is a detail exploded perspective view of a bucket;

imity to the plane of the upper surface of the top of the conveyer 1 preventing any stray particles or granules of material undergoing packaging, from escaping. The baffle 20 is relatively semicircular in shape and is adapted to be secured in any particular manner, such as by means of 1a flange 21 connected to the hopper 6. The construction and operation of the filling machine is disclosed and claimed in the application of Clarence I. Malhiot, Serial No. 163,249, filed May 20, 1950, and assigned to the present assignee.

Each bucket 2 of the conveyer 1, Figs. 4 to 6, com- Drises a main body part 22 which may be cast as a single unitary unit from bras-s or other suitable metal, but is preferably cast in two parts for ease and convenience in molding andmachining.

The body 22 may comprise two sections which when connected together constitute, in effect, a channel shaped member having an inner leg 23, Figs. 4 to 6, and an outer leg 24. The leg 24 has an integral projection at one end forming an end wall 25 for the body 22. An elongated slot 26 formed by the spaced legs 23 and 24, is open at one end and forms an opening or pocket 27 into which the material to be packaged is received and measured. The closed integral end 25 of the leg 24 extends outwardly in the form of an offset projection 28, and mates with a similar offset projection 29 on the leg 23 of the companion part, and in cases where the body is formed of two parts as shown, the two projections or flanges 28 and 29 may be bolted or riveted together, whereby the body 22 forms a unitary element.

The leg 23, Fig. 6, has spaced upper and lower projections or ribs 30 and 31 respectively formed integrally on its inner surface to provide means for hingedly connecting adjacent buckets 2 together. The projections or ribs 30 and 31 are provided with spaced alined holes at each end thereof to receive pins 32, Figs. 2 and 3, upon which pin rollers 33 are mounted. The rollers 33 include a part of a link in the nature of a roller chain, the links being engaged by the teeth 34 of a sprocket 35, Figs. 1 to 3, whereby the hingedly connected buckets 2 act as a conveyer chain, each bucket forming in effect a part of the chain.

The leg 23 of the body 22, Figs. 4 to 6, has an inwardly extending flange 36 at its upper end to form a top. The flange 36 terminates at the closed end wall 25 and is flush with that wall. The side of the flange 36 overhangs from a side of the body, and the forward end of the flange 36 projects from the end of the leg 23. The latter projection is such as to form contacting or abutting engagement with an adjacent bucket 2 as the projection is substantially equal to the length of the flanges 28 or 29.

The leg 24, Figs. 4 to 6, has an integral outwardly extending flange 37 at its upper end which is in the same plane as the flange 36. The flange 37 is wider than the flange 36 and projects further from the outside of the wall 24 than does the flange 36 with respect to the outer surface of the leg 23, but in all other respects is the same as the flange 36.

Each bucket 2, Figs. 4 to 6, includes a movable end closure wall 38 to close the open slotted end 26 of the pocket 27 in the body part 22. The closure 38 is of a size to permit it to fit freely within the space defined by the legs 23 and 24 but still fitting close enough to prevent the material in the pocket 2'7 from falling out between the sides of the closure 38 and the inside walls of the legs 23 and 24 which define the side walls of the pocket 27. The closure 38, Fig. 4, has an upper end 39 which is equal in size to the rest of the closure body and is substantially equal to the width of the slot 26, defining the pocket 27, and is flush with the top of the reduced or rabbcted ends 40 of the flanges 36 and 37. The ends 40 of the legs 23 and 24 are rabbeted or recessed as shown, so that when a top closure plate 41 is applied, the top of the closure wall 38 will be free to be slid or shifted thercbcneath. The top closure plate 41 is equal in thickness to the depth of the recesses or rabbets so that when the plate 41 is applied in position, the top of the plate 41 will be flush with the tops of the flanges 36 and 37 or the legs 23 and 24 respectively.

The movable end closure wall 38, Fig. 4, has a support guide projection 42 extending therefrom at its upper end, said projection being integral with an end 43 which is also integral with the main closure part of the wall 38. The guide projection 42 engages the outside of the leg 24 being guided between the under side of the flange 37 and the upper side of a guide rib 43 formed integrally on the outer surface of the leg 24. This guide projection 42 is provided with an elongated slot 44 formed therein into which slot a lock or set screw 45 extends. The screw 45 is received into a threaded bore or hole 46 in the leg 24, the threaded end of the screw not extending completely through the leg 24, and, therefore, the inner surface of the leg 24 remains smooth. A washer 47 may be applied between the head of the screw 45 and the outer surface of leg 24 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Loosening of the screw 45 permits the closure wall 38 to be adjustably shifted to any position desired or required within the limits of the slot 44.

The overall size of each bucket 2 is identical but the size of the pocket 27 may be varied in one dimension to increase or decrease the pocket size to meet certain conditions.

Each bucket 2 is made from east bronze or other desir able metal and is relatively heavy in weight. Therefore, to prevent too much frictional drag on the supporting plate 3 upon which the buckets engage, a roller 48, Fig. 2, is carried on the leg 23 which is opposite to the leg 24 to which the chain link is attached. The rollers 48 of each bucket are supported on a rigid plate, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The roller 48 is mounted on a shaft or pin 49 which is fixedly mounted in an integral boss 50 on the leg 23 of the bucket body 22, Figs. 2 and 5.

Each bucket 2, therefore, has a pocket 27 which is adjustable in size by a movable end wall 38, without affecting the overall dimensions of the bucket, and the open end of the slot 26, in which the end closure wall 38 operates, is covered by the top cover plate 41.

The invention, therefore, comprises an endless conveyer 1 in the form of a continuous chain made up of a plurality of hingedly connected buckets 2 having material or article receiving pockets 27, each of which is capable of infinite adjustment. The feed opening itself is limited in size in one direction by the space between the side legs 23 and 24 and in the other direction by the space between the inner edge of the top closure plate 41 and the fixed end wall 25. The size of the pocket 27 may be varied or adjusted by adjusting the movable end closure wall 38. The closure wall 38 may be adjusted beyond the edge of the top plate 41 so that the size of the pocket 27 itself may be greater in area than the area of the feed opening, although it is probably desirable that the area of the pocket be coextensive with the area of the bucket feed opening.

The manner in which the buckets are constructed and arranged provides a chordal conveyer in that the vertically alined holes or openings in the horizontally spaced upper and lower spaced flanges 30 and 31 are connected by a link to adjacent buckets with no chain linkage between the vertically alined openings of each bucket, thereby forming a chord between the alined openings on the horizontal flanges of each bucket. The teeth 34 of the sprockets engage the links, while there is no tooth engagement between the holes of each bucket, the flanges 30 and 31 being of sutficient depth to prevent fouling or engagement of a tooth with a part of the bucket. The spacing of the teeth with respect to the connecting links of adjacent buckets is such that there is approximately or nearly two inches space horizontally between the openings in the flanges 30 and 31, while there is srbstantially or approximately one inch of space between the end openings of one bucket with respect to the similar openings at the adjacent bucket.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fall fairly within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A conveyer comprising a plurality of buckets each hingedly connected on one side thereof, each bucket having spaced legs, overhanging top flanges on said legs, said legs being spaced apart forming a space therebetween, an adjustable movable end wall closing one end of said space between the legs, an integral extension on one of said legs closing the other end of said space, an extension on the movable end wall and engaging one of said legs, and means passing through the latter extension and engaging one of said legs to lock the movable end wall in adjusted position.

2. A conveyer comprising a plurality of hingedly connected buckets, each bucket having spaced legs, over hanging top flanges on said legs, said legs being spaced apart forming a space therebetween, an adjustable movable end wall closing one end of said space, an integral extension on one of said legs closing the other end of said space, an extension on the movable end wall, means passing through the latter extension and engaging one of said legs to lock the movable end wall in adjusted position to a said leg, and a rib on said one leg, said extension being guided between the under side of a flange on a leg and said rib.

3. A conveyer comprising a plurality of adjacently positioned buckets, each bucket having spaced side walls and a closed end wall forming a slot open at one end, a wall opposite the closed wall and adjustably movable in said opening, means to lock said wall in adjusted position, a pin on one of said legs, a roller on said pin, a plate engageable with said roller and adapted to support the weight of the bucket, and links pivotally connected to adjacent buckets on one side thereof.-

4. A continuous chordal conveyer comprising a plurality of adjacently positioned buckets comprising spaced legs forming a slot therebetween, rigid fixed means closing one end of said slot, an adjustably movable end wall closing the other end of said slot, said legs and said walls defining a measuring pocket, flanges on the buckets on one side thereof in alinernent with each other having holes formed therein adjacent the ends of each flange of each bucket, a chain link fastened to adjacent ends of a flange on adjacent buckets, said link including a pin in the holes in the flanges of adjacent buckets at the adjacent ends thereof guide means on a leg, and an extension on said movable end wall and engaging said guide means.

5. A continuous chordal conveyer comprising a plurality of adjacently positioned buckets each comprising spaced apart legs forming a slot therebetween, rigid fixed means closing one end of said slot, an adjustably movable end wall closing the other end of said slot, said legs and said walls defining a measuring pocket, spaced horizontal upper and lower flanges on one face of one leg, spaced holes in each flange at each end of said flanges and arranged in vertical alinement with each other, pins arranged in the alined holes at each end of the flanges, and links connecting the pins at each end of adjacent buckets on one side of the buckets to connect adjacent buckets together.

6. A continuous chordal conveyer comprising a plu rality of adjacently positioned buckets comprising spaced legs forming a slot therebetween, rigid fixed means closing one end of said slot, an adjustably movable end wall closing the other end of said slot, said legs and said walls defining a measuring pocket, flanges on the buckets in alinement with each other having holes formed therein adjacent the ends of each flange of each bucket, and a chain link fastened to adjacent ends of a flange on adjacent buckets, said link including a pin in the holes in the flanges of adjacent buckets at the adjacent ends thereof, the spaces between the holes in each flange being spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the holes at one end of abucket and the adjacent end of an adjacent bucket.

7. A bucket for use in forming a conveyor comprising a body having spaced side legs forming a slot therebetween, an inwardly extending projection integral with one of said legs to close one end of said slot, an adjustably movable end wall closing the other end of said slot, said legs and end walls defining a measuring pocket, flanges at the top of said legs and overhanging said legs, an elongated integral member on said movable end wall, there being a slot formed in said latter integral member, a rib on one of said legs, said rib and the under side of a flange forming a guide for said latter integral member, and a locking threaded member passing through said last named slot and threadably engaging a leg to adjustably lock the movable end wall in adjusted position.

8. A bucket for use in forming a conveyer comprising a body having spaced side legs forming a slot therebetween, an inwardly extending projection integral with one of said legs to close one end of said slot, an adjustably movable end wall closing the other end of said slot, said legs and end walls defining a measuring pocket, flanges at the top of said legs and overhanging said legs, an elongated integral member on said movable end wall, there being a slot formed in said latter integral member, a rib on one of said legs, said rib and the under side of a flange forming a guide for said latter integral memher, a locking threaded member passing through said last named slot and threadedly engaging a leg to adjustably lock the movable end wall in adjusted position, spaced upper and lower integral flanges on a leg on the opposite side from which said rib is located, said upper and lower flanges having vertically alined holes adjacent their outer ends, and connecting links adapted to be secured to an adjacent bucket by the use of said holes, said alined holes being spaced from the ends of the spaced flanges a distance greater than the distance between the spaced alined holes of the buckets, at adjacent ends.

9. A bucket for use in forming a conveyer comprising a body having spaced side legs forming a slot therebetween, an inwardly extending projection integral with one of said legs to close one end of said slot, an adjustably movable end wall closing the other end of said slot, said legs and end walls defining a measuring pocket, flanges at the top of said legs and overhanging said legs, an elongated integral member on said movable end wall, there being a slot formed in said latter integral member, a rib on one of said legs, said rib and the under side of a flange forming a guide for said latter integral member, a locking threaded member passing through said last named slot and threadedly engaging a leg to adjustably lock the movable end wall in adjusted position, spaced upper and lower integral flanges on a leg on the opposite side from which said rib is located, said upper and lower flanges having vertically alined holes adjacent their outer ends, connecting links adapted to be secured to an adjacent bucket by the use of said holes, said alined holes being spaced from the ends of the spaced flanges a distance greater than the distance between the spaced alined holes of the adjacent buckets, and a pin projecting from a leg on the same side on which the spaced flanges are located forming a bearing for supporting a bucket to relieve some of the weight thereof.

10. An endless chordal conveyer comprising adjacently positioned buckets each having a leg, spaced flanges on one side of each of said legs, links fastened between the flanges of each leg at each end and connecting the legs together, a second leg spaced from the first leg of each bucket, a rigid end wall between said legs to close one side of the bucket, a shiftable end wall between the legs to close the other end, top flanges on said legs, the top of the shiftable end wall being flush with the top flanges, a

projection on the shiftable end wall and engaging the outer References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Swarovski Aug. 11, 1914 Malhiot Sept. 12, 1944 

